Alexis Giannoulias Interest In The U.S. Senate Seat
The State Treasurer spent some time in Rockford today and talked to 23News about him considering a run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2010. The Chicago democrat has formed an exploratory committee, and he says during this time of perceived corruption in politics he feel it's even more important for young leaders to step up and answer the call to service.

"The people of Illinois need and deserve a Senator who's going to bring integrity back to the process. Who's going to stand up and effectively lead so we can focus on topics like fixing the economy, unfreezing the credit markets, getting people back to work, helping businesses come back to Illinois and deliver on the change that Barack Obama has promised to this nation," said Ginnoulias.

Giannoulias, who turns 33 this month would look to claim the senate seat currently occupied by fellow Democrat Roland Burris.

see video: http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/40753357.html

After the writer Petro Marko another northern epiriote Panajot Pano became "The Honor of Albania"

The Albanian President Bamir Topi honored yesterday Panajot Pano, an ex famos socker of albanian national team as the "Honor of Albania". Pano ex famous socker of Albanian national team and "Partizani" of Tirana, is became the second greek Albanian personality that has contributed historicly for the Albanian state.

Panajot Pano an Albanian citizen with Greek nationality becomes honored after another famous northern epiriot the writer from Himara region Petro Marko.

Often Albanian media opinion like to convert the Greek origin of the great writer Petro Marko from Drimades village of Himara region as Albanian.

The albanian government has financed a monument sculprure of the writer Petro Marko to put in Drimades without autorisation of the greek community of the area. The declaration has been held by PM Sali Berisha during a visit in Drimades on June 2008.

Albania borrows €250M from banks to fund deficit

The Associated Press

Albania's Finance Ministry said Thursday it would borrow €250 million ($313.6 million) from Deutsche Bank and Greece's Alpha Bank to fund its budget deficit. The two banks were selected after an international tender with seven bidders, the ministry said in a statement.

It gave no details for the loan, which is expected to fund the budget deficit and the construction of a new highway to neighboring Kosovo. Albania's 2009 budget deficit is projected at 4.2 percent of gross domestic product.

Last year, the government also took a €230 million loan to cover its budget deficit

Albania Torurism Minster Sacked Over Sex Scandal

THE "STATE ADVOCATE" OF KAKOMEA AND JALA OF HIMARA REGION AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM OF SEX SCANDAL

Ylli Pango Albania’s Minister of Torurism and Culture Ylli Pango was fired on Wednesday, after a video showing him allegedly asking sexual favours from young women applying for a job in his ministry was broadcast on TV.

The video and audio broadcast on the investigative program Fisk Fare on Top Channel TV shows Pango setting private meetings with two job applicants. One of these meetings was set in his private villa in Tirana, in which the sacked minister asks a girl to strip her clothes off.In the recording Pango is overhead repeatedly asking the girl to take her shirt off and come out in a bikini so that he can assess whether she is the right person for the job.

Thirty minutes after the broadcast Prime Minister Sali Berisha issued a statement sacking Pango as culture minister. “The Prime Minister Berisha has told the minister of culture, youth and sports that he is dismissed since the episode that appeared in the media is unacceptable for the morality and standards of his government," said a statement from the premier's office. Pango was not reachable for a comment; however in a statement to Berisha he claimed that the video is a “a fabrication by the media”.

PANGO WAS THE "ADVOCATE OF PM SALI BERISHA" TO SUPPORT THE ALBANIAN MAFIA IMPLICATING THE WORLD BANK TO DESTRUCT PROPERTY BUILDINGS AND TO ROBBER THE LANDS AND PROPERTIES OF THE GREEK POPULATION IN JALA AND KAKOMEA OF HIMARA REGION.

BOSNIA MAY SPLIT?

Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, left, warned against Bosnia's "disintegration" after calls by a Serb leader said "that Bosnia be transformed into a federation in which the federal units shall have the right to self-determination".

Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue 'Key To Balkan Stability'Pristina

Dialogue between officials in Pristina and Belgrade is key to the stability of the Balkan region, International Civilian Office chief Pieter Feith . Serbia has vowed to never recognize Kosovo’s seccession and relations between Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians are tense and occasionaly hostile.

Serbia has blocked imports coming in from Kosovo and Serb officials have not been shy about flaunting Belgrade's reach in Serb-populated parts of north Kosovo, often coming into north Kosovo on 'official visits'. Kosovo officials have in turn threatened to arrest Serb officials entering unannounced for trying to breach Kosovo's territorial integrity.

“Good neighbourly relations and Pristina-Belgrade contact on practical issues are useful for regional stability”, Feith told Serbian daily “Dnevnik”. He said the EU was committed to regional stability and was prepared to mediate between Pristina and Belgrade. “The EU has to play a useful role in easing such a process

The Ionian Coastal Association accuses PM Berisha for the Jali Project

According to the newspaper of Socialist Party “Zeri i Popullit” the Ionian Coastal Association during a press declaration, has accused the Albanian PM Sali Berisha and other politicians for the destruction of Jali Village in collaboration with member of the World Bank Project.

The association before starting the project tow years ago, has opposed the World Bank Director mission in Tirana, declaring the property issue most important than the project proposed.

The project over alls has favorized the Albanian mafia with the support of Albanian authority segments and Tribunals to robbery lands and properties of the population who lives historically in Ionian Coast zone.

Albania and Croatia's accession to NATO can be postponed

FOCUS News Agency

Skopje. Macedonia’s accession to NATO is very significant. Likewise it is very important for the regional security Croatia and Albania to access NATO at the meeting at high level in April, Spic informs.

Croatian and Albanian media warns that Albania and Croatia accession on NATO can be postponed until the Croatian- Slovenian dispute is solved.

“Expansion of the Alliance is solemn act but if just one country accesses it not three there will be something not right and the process will be stopped,” unknown diplomatic source told Croatian Agency HINA.

Kosovo issue not finished yet, Bolton said

March 2, 2009
Former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said that is not finished yet and will remain so until an agreement acceptable to all sides has been reached. “I think it’s positive there is no violence and ethnic conflict, but there is tension and it will remain a source of tensions until agreement is reached that all sides will accept.” Bolton told the Serbian service of the Voice of America.

Serbia has urged new status talks on Kosovo to commence but the separatists in the province have rejected the initiative. Bolton noted that the Barack Obama’s policy for the Balkans is still unclear but warned that just because the current situation in Kosovo is stable it does not mean that the problem has been solved.

“It is still unclear what the Obama administration policy in the Balkans will be, although the new state of Kosovo has been relatively stable since the independence declaration, this issue is not closed, nor have other issues that are the consequence of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia,” Bolton said.

IMF Warns Albania on Pre-Election SpendingTirana

02 March 2009
Premier Berisha inspecting the Kosovo highwayThe International Monetary Fund, IMF, warned Albania on Saturday it should be prudent in its spending ahead of its general election on June 28 or risk possible threats to its macroeconomic stability.

In its final report on Albania-IMF relations, the Fund warned that “without its program support—which has served as a policy anchor since the early 1990s—added prudence of policy makers is called for when, at the same time, upcoming elections may tilt political instincts in the opposite direction”. Albania ended its final supervisory agreement with IMF on Jan. 31, despite warnings from experts advising that it be extended to avoid the risks of a populist spending spree in an election year.

The centre-right government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha has already declared it intends to increase salaries and pensions as of May 1, two months before the elections. “The end of the program falls in challenging times. The external environment is deteriorating sharply and previously high inflows into the banking system have slumped,” the IMF said.

“Remaining structural problems in the utility sector, and elevated public debt aggravate vulnerabilities, meanwhile, the upcoming elections risk diverting policy makers’ attention from stability-oriented policies”, the fund added..

The veteran journalist of State Departament and Elefteros Tipos Lambros Papantoniou about a strategic annalisy on Albanian Press

more see: http://print.gazetalibertas.com/pdf/20090301.pdf